The ultimate in desktop backgrounds.
So I went to Heather's church for the Christmas Eve service. It's a Catholic church, and since I can count the amount of times I've been to a Catholic service one one hand, it's a safe bet to say that I was quite lost. Here are the two funny stories.
David breaks out his Christmas outfit.
1) We walk in, the three of us, as well as Heather's parents and her Uncle Brian. Everyone in the church, and I mean EVERYONE in the church stops and looks. Our son is dressed up in a santa suit (pictured above), complete with the hat. ADORABLE. Everyone stops, looks, and smiles. Collective, barely audible "awww."
We all notice, and then tried not to notice. Alan, Diane, and Brian move aside, and let us slide into the pew. I point out to Heather that this is bad, because if we have to leave in mid-service, everyone has to move. So we look back and forth at each other, all trying to suggest alternatives. Finally, we all realize it, and everyone stands back up. That collective "aww" I mentioned before? Yeah, now total confusion dominates their faces. We finally sit ourselves down, amidst slight chuckles from the congregation we are now entertaining, and I say to the lady behind us "Yeah, first time parents. Is it obvious we're new at this?"
My BEST picture BY FAR. Nothing else comes close.
2) So there I am, holding my wonderful son for the entire service. He is PERFECT. He maybe made two sounds the entire time, and fell asleep for the last twenty minutes (on a side note, try standing and sitting with a 15lb sleeping baby in your arm with pews that are REALLY tight and that kneeling thing by your feet. That was fun).
And, as you would expect, the service is centered around a small child, a child who would teach us to love, and who would be the source of our joy. I kept nodding to myself, thinking "They are absolutely correct. That is EXACTLY what David is!" Then I realize that they are taking about the Christ child, and not my son. Whoops.
Imagine, for a second, I feel like this about MY son. Think about how GOD, the creator of everything, felt about HIS son. You want something that the human brain can't fathom? There you go. And to think, God sent Him to die. Holding my son, knowing that was God's plan from the beginning, it just leaves me in awe. Sending his son to die, to die for US. So that we could have a relationship with God. Amazing. Going through a Christmas Eve service with a son changes EVERYTHING. I highly recommend it at some point in your lives.
May the love of Christ, the joy of the season, and the birth of hope be your comfort and warmth on this Christmas day.
